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Read more about the article Favre Comes to Jersey

Favre Comes to Jersey

Brett Favre, Post-Retirement
Originally uploaded by purpleslog

As atheletes go, I’m a big Brett Favre fan. I admire the guy’s passion and grit and, hypothetically speaking, if I were a head coach, would love to have him be the QB of my team for as long as he was able to play.

That said, I completely understand Packers coach Mike McCarthy not welcoming him back with open arms after his changing his mind about retiring. There’s an extreme selfishness underlying the whole situation that reflects poorly on Favre and is the kind of thing that has tarnished the reputation of way too many atheletes who didn’t know when to hang it up and move on. (I’m looking at you, Vinnie.)

As a Jets fan, I’m not the least bit excited about them trading for him and unceremoniously shoving Chad Pennington — a real stand-up guy and true team player who’s been treated like a red-headed stepchild ever since Mangini took over the team — out the door before he had a chance to prove his worth working with a revamped offensive line and a more experienced head coach and offensive coordinator. That Favre stands to benefit from the major roster overhaul this season instead of Pennington is disappointing as I believe the Jets will turn things around and a have a realistic shot at a 10-6 season, at worst, and will be poised to make a serious run through the playoffs.

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Read more about the article BroadAcres’ Bustling Business A Boon?

BroadAcres’ Bustling Business A Boon?

1455 Broad Street
1455 Broad Street

Taxes are pretty much Greek to me, especially property taxes, but as I understand them, a viable commercial tax base is critical for keeping residential property taxes down and is theoretically one of the reasons moving forward on the redevelopment of Bloomfield Center is such a critical issue. (Assuming, of course, that the plan isn’t loaded with the kinds of tax breaks and loopholes that end up costing taxpayers MORE money.) The New Jersey League of Municipalities has a nice primer, A SHORT AND SIMPLE GLIMPSE AT THE PROPERTY TAX IN NEW JERSEY, that is somewhat helpful, leaving me feeling mildly clueless instead of completely dumbfounded.

With taxes on the brain — Bloomfield Life, I think, had a recent article about the township-wide assessment happening this Fall that has me a little nervous — I figure it has to be a good thing to see that Prism Captial Partners is having success luring new tenants to their BroadAcres Office Park in northern Bloomfield, that they paid $52m for in 2006 and are in the process of an extensive renovation and upgrading of its grounds and infrastructure.

Four Leases Signed at BroadAcres

BLOOMFIELD, NJ-Prism Capital Partners has secured 27,000 sf of leases at its BroadAcres Office Park here. Four companies, three current tenants and one new occupant, have committed to space at the 380,000-sf, class A campus…

Kingsbridge Financial Group has relocated its headquarters from Seacaucus to 1455 Broad St., where it will occupy 5,000 sf on a five-year lease. Diversified Cos., Senior Financial Solutions and Kingsbridge were all represented by Prism Capital Partners principal Edwin Cohen, who also represented Prism, the owners of the property…

Rental rates for BroadAcres are listed as $25.50 per sf for 1455 Broad St. and $23.50 per sf for 200 and 300 Broadacres Dr. The property has seen a considerable amount of leasing activity in the past few months.

“We’re encouraged by the activity,” says Cohen. “Brokers are responding well to the improvements they’ve seen throughout the complex.”

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Read more about the article Bloomfield Cyclist Assaulted by NYPD Rookie

Bloomfield Cyclist Assaulted by NYPD Rookie

The cyclist in the middle of the latest NYPD controversy is Christopher Long of Bloomfield, NJ, who is a lot more Zen than I’d be considering the cop is clearly an outright liar and thug:

“I’m really sorry, but I’m not talking to the press,” Christopher Long, 29, said as he manned an organic fruits-and-vegetables stand at the Union Square farmers market.

“There are charges against me, and I don’t want anything to affect my case,” said Long, who had two large scabs on his knees from the body block.

Long, of New Jersey, was charged with assault and resisting arrest after the cop insisted the cyclist had tried to run him over in a Critical Mass rally Friday in Times Square.

A dramatic video starkly contradicted rookie Officer Patrick Pogan‘s statements. It shows the 22-year-old cop running toward Long and slamming him to the sidewalk.

Pogan, a former high school football lineman, has been stripped of his gun and badge while the incident is investigated.

Police sources have said the charges against Long would likely be dropped.

Long will “get over it and he’s not the type of guy to hold a grudge,” said Justin Ford, 25, a bike courier and a friend of Long’s, but Long’s lawyer said he may sue.

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Read more about the article Light Green Thumb

Light Green Thumb

Garden After, originally uploaded by bloomfieldguy.

When we bought our house, I knew there were a lot of things we’d have to deal with that were never a consideration while we lived in an apartment, from the obvious fixing whatever breaks to paying separately for everything short of the air we breathe, but the one thing I underestimated was the time and effort involved in maintaining a yard.

Way back in High School, I’d done the basics, like mowing the lawn and raking and even helped with building a deck and a small pond, but those were more chores than responsibilities, so my emotional investment in them was minimal. (I did take a bit of pride in the pond, at least until my turtle ran away!) While we lucked out with a house that was in move-in condition and only had to paint the kids’ rooms, buy new furniture and unpack our things to get the interior squared away, the yard was in need of some TLC.

I’ve learned from our neighbors that the property had been sort of a jungle for years before the guy we bought it from bought it last summer and fixed it all up — with 8-foot hedges enclosing the back and all sorts of animals residing in them — so relatively speaking, it was overhauled as much as the house itself, but unlike the house, it didn’t have any real character at all. Plus, there were some concerns with the landscaping with certain areas pooling water up against the foundation of the house.

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Read more about the article Bloomfield Cuban

Bloomfield Cuban

Havana Sandwich Cafe, originally uploaded by bloomfieldguy.

When we restarted our search for a house in Bloomfield earlier this year, we made an effort to explore some of the restaurants here and in the surrounding area (trans: Montclair) and were delighted to come across a solid assortment to choose from, both in price and cuisine, and so far have only experienced a handful of duds, including the State Street Grill (overpriced, glorified diner), Nevada Diner (bland diner food) and Stamna (beautiful Greek decor; bland, uninspired food).

Among the places we’ve enjoyed are Aki (unpretentious sushi in a relaxed setting), Vinnie’s Pizzeria and Restaurant (solid Italian food with decent pizza), Señorita’s (great Mexican food and margaritas), and even the Glenwood Diner (solid breakfast) and the IHOP on Bloomfield Avenue (great off-menu specials with a southern twist; kids eat free Mon-Fri evenings), next to Watsessing Park. Our favorite to-date, though, has been Cuban Pete’s in Montclair, a high-energy restaurant that combines authentic Cuban food with a sense of style and atmosphere that avoids feeling like a chain.

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Read more about the article East Orange is for…lovers?

East Orange is for…lovers?

Reddog n Neenee, originally uploaded by Nudnik N Da Hood.

According to CNNMoney it is, ranking it at #21 of the 25 places that have the highest percentage of singles, and an over-30 scene. Hoboken is ranked #1 (ugh), while Newark is #20. (Hat tip to the Barista.)

Interestingly, this is the same East Orange that shares Bloomfield’s southwest border and, every step of the way through our homebuying process, was referred to negatively by, well, just about everybody! (Check the Barista’s comment section for a representative selection of bons mots.)

The worst was the security system sales rep (from Brinks, I think) who drove up the day we were moving in and chatted us up while pitching his services.

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Read more about the article Cruising the Center

Cruising the Center

Sweet Rides, originally uploaded by bloomfieldguy.

The Bloomfield Center Alliance sponsors two events in the summer that nicely represent one of the more appealing differences between living in the sortaburbs and living in the City: Cruise Night and the Farmer’s Market. While a Farmer’s Market isn’t terribly unique — I haven’t visited yet, but after walking through Venner “Park” last night, I don’t imagine ours is terribly big — the central location of both events makes for a nice community-building opportunity in a relatively small town like Bloomfield.

If it were about 5 degrees cooler when we headed uptown for Cruise Night last night, we would have walked there, but instead we drove — those carbon offsets alleviating a bit of the guilt — parked on the south end of the Glenwood/Broad Street intersection, and walked the two block stretch of classic (and not-so-classic) cars on display. There were approx. 25 cars there and at least as many people milling around them, checking them out and talking to their owners.

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